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Lightning Storm Breaking Over Interior Mountains

This afternoon, a series of lightning storms have broken out in southeastern Humboldt, Southern Trinity and northeastern Mendocino. Multiple flashes are being reported. The Covelo area is experiencing the largest amount according to this map taken from LightningMaps.org at approximately ten minutes to four.

Probable lightning in the last hour indicated by colored dots. Yellow dots are more recent. Brownish dots are older. The white rings indicate where the thunder could be heard rolling outward from the flashes.

At least one fire was reported started by lightning at 2:31 p.m. However, according to Jeff Tonkin a meteorologist for the US National Weather Service in Eureka, “quite a bit of rain” is likely falling with the strikes, the vegetation is still moist from the recent wet weather, and current temperatures are cooler so there is unlikely to be “large and rapid fire growth” from these strikes. Nonetheless, Tonkin said, he wouldn’t be surprised to see, in the next few days, some fires that grew out of these strikes.